The commitment, part of General Mills' long-term sustainable sourcing strategy, covers a broad range of raw materials, including oats, wheat, corn, dairy, fiber packaging, cocoa, vanilla, palm oil, sugar cane and sugar beets.
"General Mills is committed to creating long-term value for our business, and our society," said Ken Powell, chief executive officer of General Mills. "Producing enough food to feed an increasingly hungry world will require not only innovation and dedication, but also careful attention to the impact of agriculture on our environment."
The opportunities for each priority ingredient are unique and geographically specific, which require General Mills to pursue a range of sustainable approaches including certification, verification, continuous improvement, and origin-direct investment.
Improving sustainability is a continuing process - one that General Mills does not undertake alone. Nearly two-thirds of General Mills' greenhouse gas emissions and 99 percent of water use occur outside the company's operations, primarily in agriculture. Therefore, the company believes it can have the greatest impact by working with industry partners and non-governmental agencies across the supply chain to identify new solutions.
